Wednesday 17 July 2013

how times have changed - swapping cds


This letter (from  Andrew in Hull -2001) might as well be from 50 years ago, as times have changed so much.
When l got a CD player for the first time and wanted a collection of CD's to play on it, there was no way l could amass a load quickly (that sounds painful), so l used to swap discs with people who had usually met me on my travels, or corresponded with me about something else.
By swap CD's, l of course mean swap copies of them, as the next thing l bought after the CD player was a CD copier and a load of blank discs.  The swapping was great for getting hold of new artists that l wanted to try out (Muse, My Vitriol, Turin Brakes and Feeder on the letter above), and was also a superb way of building up my bootleg collection.
I know it was illegal, but l didn't care.
Over the years l have spent a fortune on music and concerts, more than anyone else l know (I am a sad bastard), plus the CD's on sale at that time were really expensive.
Now it's all Spotify, streaming, iTunes,  free music on the web (if you know where to look), and they can't give most CD's away for love or money.
Serves the greedy gits that ran the record companies right, money grabbing parasites that mot of them were.
Maybe there is such a thing as Karma.

toodle pip

No comments: